Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen did not play in Week 3 and is expected to miss Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, and it sounds as if football is far from the most important thing in his life at the moment.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that Griffen has been battling a “serious mental health-related issue” for several weeks. While he was able to play in the first two games of the season, Pelissero was told the situation became “unmanageable” before the Vikings ruled Griffen out for their Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills.
On @gmfb with the latest on #Vikings DE Everson Griffen, who has been undergoing evaluation at a local hospital after battling a serious, mental health-related issue for weeks. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/LmH7aSdVzP
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 25, 2018
Griffen remained in a local Minneapolis hospital as of Monday night undergoing an evaluation.
According to a report from KSTP, Griffen threatened to shoot someone at the Hotel Ivy on Saturday night. He allegedly demanded that staff members let him into his room and frightened them to the point where they moved to the back of the office to avoid him. Police were called and Griffen was not arrested, and those who reported the incident said they never saw a gun.
Griffen, 30, is in his ninth season with the Vikings. The former USC star was also involved in an incident with police that turned ugly several years ago.
